360 eats electricity. A lot of it
by Richard Mitchell 
{ Feb 21st 2007 at 4:45PM }
The crew at HCW decided to compare the power consumption of all three major consoles. Just for good measure, they threw in a mid-range PC as well. The overall conclusion, both the Xbox 360 and PS3 suck up almost as much juice as a PC. The Wii, on the other hand, sips lightly on its electricity like a vacationing retiree drinking a mai tai. It's worth noting that the PS3 does consume more power than the 360. During DVD playback, the Xbox 360 uses somewhat less than the PC or the PS3, though HCW notes that 360 playback quality is low and the machine itself is noisy.
Does any of this really matter? Nope, but it's interesting nonetheless, and it's sure to give fanboys some fuel for the forums. HCW will be comparing other aspects of the consoles in the coming weeks. We'll keep you posted.
[Via Joystiq]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Insomnious @ Feb 21st 2007 4:50PM
"Does any of this really matter?"
Well if you consider the amount of power a combination of the 360, HDTV, and maybe a surround sound system/stereo system are using together, it is quite worrying.
aragorn @ Feb 21st 2007 4:58PM
duh. I have a $93 dollar electric bill that proves that.
KineticOnline @ Feb 21st 2007 5:04PM
I've spent most of the past few months sitting here at my PC (with the 360 beside it) and havent needed to heat the room once (in ireland that never happens), actually i normally have to open the window. Im dreading the next electric bill, but im guessing its going to 200+ euro
Louis @ Feb 21st 2007 5:16PM
Let's not talk about 360s this week, mine is off to Texas with 3 red lights.
Alucard1988 @ Feb 21st 2007 6:51PM
Yeah My PS3 Is Broke Too And It Also Went To Texas
razer @ Feb 21st 2007 6:54PM
I figured in good fanboy spirit we would be pointing out that the PS3 consumes more power than the 360? But instead we are casting another negative onto the 360.. great work guys! Oh and the 3 red light comment is icing!
All we need is a couple "The 360 suxx0rs" and we can change the name to PS3fanboy. No wait, they actually support their own console..
adam @ Feb 21st 2007 7:00PM
#6 Quit crying. Its a fact, the 360 uses alot of energy, just like a PC and PS3, And how can you not tell, the 360 alone heats my house, im just kidding, but it does put out a hell of alot of heat, just like my PC.
Tom @ Feb 21st 2007 8:20PM
$93.Gosh,I cant even remember the last time I payed so little. Try $350(us) for a mear 1700 square feet home. New tech eats power,its a part of the lifestyle. Well unless your old tech in a new rapper,you know,like the wii.
A1exander1 @ Feb 21st 2007 8:55PM
O.k. apart from the fact that the 360 uses a lot of electricity, how about the new BenQ DVD drive. I'm sending mine back (i have an in store warranty) but am not sure about serial numbers that will insure I get a 360 with the new drive. I've looked all over the net and found only 1 site with a few measly manufacturer dates, no serials. Can we possibly start up a list of 360s with the new drive??? If anyone has info let me know please.
ZeroCorpse @ Feb 21st 2007 9:14PM
@9
Do a search on here for "BenQ 360" and see my posts. I figured it all out- how to track one down- but I don't feel like digging out the old post and copying it here.
You're looking for a specific lot# as a minimum.
Alexander @ Feb 21st 2007 9:25PM
Hardy Har mate, found your post, I'll let you know if I manage to get one! If anyone can post anymore info it would still be greatly appreciated, I really don't want to have to be bringing back 360's every day of the week until I get the one with Ben Q
nojok3 @ Feb 21st 2007 10:01PM
"360 playback quality is low"
WHAT!?!? Wasn't there some site a few weeks ago that 'attempted' to say the 360 had an inferior DVD player only to have it debunked by 'experts'?
Jim @ Feb 22nd 2007 11:00AM
What about high end PCs? Don't those have like 1-kilowatt power supplies these days?
Killer @ Feb 22nd 2007 6:21AM
I thawed a chocolate pie with my 360. Seriously. It was awesome. Thawed it in about 10 minutes from being in the freezer. :)
Gott @ Feb 22nd 2007 5:29PM
"360 eats electricity. A lot of it"
How can that be the title to this piece? Both the COmputer and the PS3 eat more power than the 360!!!
What kind of moron are you?
The Man @ Feb 22nd 2007 9:54AM
I use my ps3 as a foreman grill cooks chicken in ten minutes or less.
Burton Warpup @ Feb 22nd 2007 11:41AM
Man, you people are getting ripped off! I just got my electric bill this morning and it was $27.53. That's for a 950 sq. ft. apartment. Although I guess I do try to conserve energy. Last month's bill was $22.09 and the only thing that really changed was getting a 360. That's a 24% increase! Annually, that's the cost of another Xbox Live Gold subscription. Sheesh!
razer @ Feb 22nd 2007 5:55PM
@17: It's stupid thinking.. Ask #7 Adam about that.. He seems like the poster child.
Btw Adam - I wasn't arguing the fact that the 360 doesn't use electricty you stupid ass but rather that it uses less then the PC and PS3 and we should be looking at that angle instead of harping on the 360.